Allisha Gray is the first player ever to win both the WNBA Kia Skills Challenge and the Starry 3-Point Contest

July 19, 2024 – Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Atlanta Dream Press Release

PHOENIX, AZ – Atlanta Dream guard and two-time WNBA All-Star Allisha Gray becomes the first player in WNBA history to win both the WNBA Kia Skills Challenge and the Starry 3-Point Contest during WNBA All-Star weekend.

“The competitor in me obviously wanted (Jonquel Jones) to miss,” Gray told ESPN after her 3-Point Contest win. “But the person in me, I like to see other people have success, so with her winning, I would still be just as happy.” The guard also becomes the first Dream player to win a WNBA All-Star event in franchise history.

Gray first competed against Sophie Cunningham, Brittney Griner, Marina Mabrey, and Kelsey Mitchell in the Kia Skills Challenge. Gray and Cunningham advanced to the finals after completing the first round with times of 31.2 and 35.5 seconds, respectively. Gray won with a time of 32.1 seconds, beating Cunningham’s time of 34.5 seconds in the finals to become the 2024 champion.

“I started off so fast, so that gave me a little bit of padding at the end,” Gray told ESPN. “It was all part of the strategy because I knew I was going to be a little tired the second time around from the shots, so I had to make my passes accurate.”

Shortly after, Gray took on Stefanie Dolson, Jonquel Jones, Marina Mabrey, and Kayla McBride in the STARRY® 3-Point Contest. Gray opened the first round with a score of 23, going 3-for-5 from the money ball rack. Jones finished with a score of 26, and both advanced to the finals. Gray went first in the final round, where she again went 3-for-5 from the money ball rack to finish with a final score of 22. Jones came up just one stroke short of Gray with a score of 21.

Dream teammate Rhyne Howard was also in the spotlight with the 3×3 showcase. Howard was dominant in Team USA’s victory, scoring 12 of the group’s 19 points. Team USA was victorious in the exhibition match, winning 19-16.

“Shooter’s shoot,” Howard told ESPN after the game. “So that’s never going to go away, but just the fact that I can come back from an injury like I had, it speaks volumes to my work ethic.”

Gray will be at center court tomorrow for Team WNBA as they take on Team USA in the AT&T 2024 All-Star Game at the Footprint Center.

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